There has been so much confusion on where the Costa del Sol is exactly and what area it includes in Spain. Many people don’t realize that the area called the Costa del Sol actually makes up 107 cities, towns and pueblos, each with their own unique personalities. I wanted to create a list and highlight one activity that we completed in each of these 107 localities here. While there are obviously so many more things to do outside of just this activity, these are what we chose to do in the areas.

As we call the Costa del Sol home (specifically, Estepona), our goal is to deep dive into each of these areas and help you identify which may be the best fit for you and your family. I’ll be adding them as I go!

Disfruta!

Benahavis

My love for the white-washed pueblo of Benahavis runs deep!!! When we first moved to the Costa del Sol, our rental home was located just an 8-minute drive away from El Paraiso where we lived in Estepona. We quickly fell in love with the Guadalmina River and its town of Benahavis. The restaurants, the shoppes, the rolling hills – we’re big fans and this is our summer go-to day trip recommendation from Estepona.

Casares

We had a wonderful time at Playa de las Piedras de la Paloma, located only a 12-minute drive past centro Estepona. Beautiful beaches with an old Spanish tower in sight, we loved this beach in Casares Costa. Casares Pueblo may be even better though. This white-washed town won me over!

Estepona

Our hometown now that we’re very proud of, Estepona is a great combo of bustling town + beach. We love trying new restaurants down there and seeing the beautiful streets. It feels so authentically Spanish down in Estepona and we love that! Be sure to see my guide on all things do within 30 minutes of Estepona!

Frigiliana

If you’re making the trip to Nerja, you can’t miss the tiny town of Frigiliana. What an adorable pueblo with hills, restaurants and shops right near the sea in Nerja. If you are heading east of Nerja, you have to spend an hour or two checking out this small town.

Fuengirola

We made a quick stop through into Fuengirola while considering a school there on our visit first to the Costa del Sol. What we liked about this area is that it is closer to the airport and Málaga city center itself, but for us we didn’t have much interest in the school or the area for living. Still a beautiful town to visit!

Málaga

Griffin and I enjoyed spending time in our new big city and seeing the sites there. Málaga is truly a special city with so much city life and so much beach life in one. We love having Málaga as our local big city. You can see the sites we visited along with CitySightseeing here! We’ll be back to explore more!

Manilva

One of our absolute favorite places we’ve visited in the Costa del Sol has been Manilva. About a 30-minute drive from Estepona, Manilva has the best rocky beaches. Landon especially loves jumping off rocks at Playa de la Chullera and we also love the water color at this beach. Absolutely recommend these beaches over Estepona and other Costa del Sol’s sand beaches.

Marbella

Unpopular opinion, but Marbella is so far our least favorite area of the Costa del Sol. Why? It gets its name for beautiful sea, which it absolutely has, but we prefer the majority of other rocky beaches in this area like Manilva in the west, for example. It also is a really tourist-driven area, especially in high season in summer. It’s hard to spend time there and truly feel the Spanish authenticity, too, as it feels more overall international. I’d skip it.

Mijas (Pueblo)

I am specifically referring to Mijas Pueblo, not the town of Mijas itself, but it’s one of my favorites in the Costa del Sol. While I don’t love Mijas, Mijas Pueblo is a beautiful pueblo with shops and stunning views, even with donkeys on carriages and a real authentic Spanish feel. Do not miss this pueblo!

Nerja

We took a day trip into Nerja to visit friends living there for the summer. I’m so glad we did! About a 2-hour drive from Estepona east of Málaga exists this precious, authentic Spanish town. Nerja had some of the prettiest waters of the Costa del Sol we’ve seen, delicious Spanish restaurants and calles that made me dream in Spanish. An absolute yes!

Ojén

What an adorable mountain town near Marbella! We loved driving up the winding hill to get to this town, full of restaurants and white-washed homes. While there isn’t a ton of things to do here, it’s a great option for viewing the gorgeous views of the mountain homes, hills and white-washed neighborhoods of Andalucia.

Ronda

Ok, not sure I would call Ronda a town of the Costa del Sol but really a gem in its own entirety. We absolutely loved visiting Ronda – it felt like the Grand Canyon of Spain. Beautiful streets lined with great tapas bars, a very unique mountain vibe and so many trails for enjoying the views of the canyon. If you have not yet visited Ronda, I highly recommend making a day trip out of it!

San Pedro de Alcántara

San Pedro is a sweet Spanish town near Marbella that we really like! The centro feels authentically Spanish and the area has some beautiful beaches. We personally wouldn’t consider living in the area because there is too much traffic this direction, too, but it’s a charming town to visit (with a great English bookstore called The Book Shop!)

Torremolinos

I don’t think I’d go out of my way to visit Torremolinos again, but it’s a cute seaside town that reminded me a lot of San Pedro de Alcántara. There wasn’t a ton there that made it super unique, but instead it’s a great stop if it’s your first time visiting the Costa del Sol.